


A Saturnalia in Imruk

by Rosriel



Series: A Tribute from Imruk [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Historical Fantasy, M/M, Male Lactation, Post Mpreg, Saturnalia | The Roman Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28301325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosriel/pseuds/Rosriel
Summary: One day in the month of Saturnalia, Aleci contemplates his past, present and future. On this day, he wasn't visited by ghosts.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: A Tribute from Imruk [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072850
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	A Saturnalia in Imruk

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR A TRIBUTE IN IMRUK.
> 
> All warned? Go ahead and enjoy the story!

“Back so soon?” said Finne, watching Aleci stomping the snow from his boots and shaking it off his clothes.

“My pride couldn’t take it anymore.” said Aleci, wiping his face gingerly, and pulling off the cloak hang it on the hooks, “Why don’t you go join Edon? He wants to go sledding with you.”

“He wants me to rush headlong into a bush like you did.” said Finne, from his seat, Aleci thought enviously, near the fire, “I’d rather not.”

“Oh, but he wants to go bobbing for corks.” said Aleci, taking off the heavy boots with a relieved sigh, “And the races, he wants you to go racing as well.”

He walks over, smiling at the sleeping bundle in Finne’s arms, “Go on, enjoy yourself. I’m sure Allian would forgive you.”

“Easy for you to say,” said Finne, “You don’t have breasts.”

“I’m sure he’ll forgive me as well.” said Aleci, making grabbing motions towards his son, rubbing his hands together to warm them, “Hand him over.”

Allian stirred, mouth opening and closing in a sleepy yawn when Finne stood up to deposit him in Aleci’s arms. The pale blond hair he’d been born with had darkened to match Finne’s, though it wasn’t as curly. Finne had insisted that it was too soon to tell. There was a fervency in how Finne reacted to his observations of Allian’s looks, as if he was used to defending his children’s parentage.

“He has my eyes,” Aleci had said, “And besides, I helped you delivered him, isn’t that what counts?”

He wasn’t sure if that reassured Finne, and his choice in naming Allian reflected that. Aleci had vetoed naming the child after himself.

“My father didn’t even name me after him.” Aleci had pleaded, “Don’t do that. Please.”

It took awhile, Finne seemingly to alternate between fierce possessiveness of Allian and relinquishing him to Aleci’s care and hovering over them both, an unreadable expression on his face. They hang cradles from the ceiling in Imruk, not that Allian ever used his. Aleci, after some consideration fashioned a crib the same height as their bed, but only enclosed on three sides so Finne could have Allian next to him while they slept.

“I didn’t know you could build things.” Edon had said watching him fiddle with the wood.

“It’s math.” Aleci had said, and Edon looked unconvinced.

He shared their bed in the winter, more for the heat than anything else. Edon, ever the heavy sleeper, slept through Allian’s cries every night.

“Did you stuff his ears with wax?” Aleci had said, watching Finne feed their youngest son, “How can he sleep so soundly?”

“A talent.” Finne had said ruefully, “I don’t know. Can you hand me the cloth?”

In the earlier days Finne never liked him watching, preferring to nurse Allian under his shirt or behind a screen. He gave up eventually when Aleci pointed out it was taking more time than usual, and well, it seemed Allian didn’t like things covering his face. Even Maera agreed with his statement.

“If you don’t cover your face when you’re eating, why would he?” the _s_ _eanmháthair_ had said.

“Are you a master in babies now too?” Finne had said, rolling his eyes.

“A master in my children.” Aleci had said and Finne laughed.

“If he cries you’re on your own.” said Finne, warningly handing Allian to Aleci.

Aleci gave him a mock salute with his free hand before he used it to support his son’s body.

“I got him, go join Edon.” he said.

When Finne dressed and left, the door softly closing behind him, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He knew snow, but he would never have guessed how much it snowed in Imruk, or how tiring it was to trudge through it.

“You’ll like snow, wouldn’t you?” he said to the sleeping Allian, “Probably sneak snow down your brother’s shirt, make sure you do that, he deserves it.”

He wanted to know, like some oracle, that his son’s life would be a pleasant one. That he would find something he’d like to do, and be happy. It was, thought Aleci, quite a simple prayer to ask for wasn’t it? When he’d told Finne he had received a surprised silence, and a soft laugh.

“I didn’t expect you to be a praying sort.” Finne had said softly.

Allian slept on, oblivious to the celebrations outside, or the thoughts swirling in Aleci’s head. He startled awake when the door flung open awhile later, a surprise cry from his pink lips and opening his eyes to blink in sleepy anger at the intruder.

“Pater, pater, did you know? I won! I won and Kaeso had to pay me and did you know Aulius sent you something, and he wrote that you should send him one too, but he forgives you because-” Edon scrunches his face in thought, “you’re a new father. Or something.”

“What did he send you?” said Aleci bouncing Allian in the vain hope that he would quiet, and Edon pulled open his bag to show him a menagerie of wooden animals.

Finne looked amused at Aleci’s attempt to sooth their youngest. “He must have really wanted to write the letter.” he showed Aleci a notebook, “He sent you this. Fonta sent me something as well. I think your mother did send you something, but the snow is making it quite hard for it to reach us.”

“She’s sent more gifts for her grandchildren. She only has two not ten.” said Aleci.

Seeing Finne stop near him expectantly he passed Allian to Finne. His spouse visibly relaxed when Allian was back in his arms, and Aleci was unsurprised that Allian’s cries stopped when he was being rocked by his favorite parent.

“Did you,” said Finne, while rocking Allian, “expect to be in Imruk this soon?”

“No.” Aleci admitted, “But I’d admit, I didn’t think everyone would take well to Saturnalia.”

“Why would they not like it?” Edon said, “You get presents.”

“You do get presents.” agreed Aleci, looking meaningfully at Finne.

He waited for the laughter, and was happy to receive it.


End file.
